She Owed Her Husband $120K, Planned to Pay $2K to Kill Him

Diana Lovejoy, Weldon McDavid guilty of attempted murder, conspiracy
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 23, 2017 7:05 AM CST
She Owed Her Husband $120K, Planned to Pay $2K to Kill Him
A close-up of an AR-15.   (Getty Images/kenlh)

Apparently unhappy at the prospect of sharing custody of her son, a California mom enlisted her former lover to lure her estranged husband to a deserted path and shoot him to death. But all did not go as Diana Lovejoy planned, authorities say. Greg Mulvihill was shot in the side but survived; Lovejoy, 45, and Weldon McDavid, 50, were both found guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy on Nov. 13, reports People. The jury that convicted them heard how as part of their near-finalized divorce, Lovejoy had been required to pay $120,000 to Mulvihill, 47. Police say she instead planned to pay $2,000 to McDavid, her firearms instructor and a former Marine, to kill her husband. The pair allegedly decided to act on Sept. 1, 2016, because a new moon meant it would be especially dark.

That night, a male called Mulvihill claiming he had incriminating evidence against him and directing him to a deserted path near Carlsbad, Calif. (Lovejoy had accused Mulvihill of raping her and molesting their son, allegations Mulvihill denies.) McDavid claimed he was just trying to shoot the flashlight Mulvihill held and that he thought Mulvihill showing up would indicate some kind of guilt that could be used in the custody battle. One juror's take: McDavid's story "was getting absurd at times." Among the evidence: the AR-15 found in McDavid's garage, McDavid's DNA found near the path, and cell-tower data that put McDavid and Lovejoy near the scene, authorities say. Lovejoy, who could face 25 years in prison, collapsed when the verdict was read, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. McDavid, who could face 50 years, wept. Sentencing is Dec. 12. (Cops say this woman asked the wrong man to bump off her son's ex.)

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